LEADERS

Head of state: King Felipe VI

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King Felipe succeeded to the throne on the abdication of his father Juan Carlos in June 2014. Born in 1968 when his father was heir-apparent to the vacant throne during the Franco dictatorship, Prince Felipe was educated for his future royal role, and undertook official engagements on behalf of the king from 1995.

Despite retaining considerable constitutional power as chief executive and commander-in-chief, King Felipe has pledged to continue his father's legacy of supporting the primacy of parliament.

Prime Minister: Mariano Rajoy

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Spain's parliament in October 2016 voted to allow conservative leader Mariano Rajoy to lead a minority government, after a 10-month political deadlock following inconclusive elections.

Mr Rajoy, who became prime minister in December 2011, took on the role of acting prime minister of a caretaker government after elections in December 2015 failed to produce a clear winner.

He claimed the right to form a government after a repeat election in June 2016 saw his conservative Popular Party (PP) win more seats but fall short of a majority once again.

He first became premier after the PP won a resounding victory in parliamentary elections in 2011.

The election campaign was dominated by Spain's deep debt crisis and sky-high unemployment, and the governing Socialists' defeat was widely expected.

Mr Rajoy, who has long been known as a cautious public administrator, warned the Spanish people that there is no miracle cure to restore the country to economic health.

The son of a lawyer, Mariano Rajoy grew up in a socially conservative Catholic environment, studied law and began his career as a land registrar.

RadioTelevision Espanola (RTVE) is the public broadcaster. There are numerous regional TV stations backed by regional governments and many local stations. Multichannel TV is offered by satellite platform Digital Plus.

TIMELINE

Some key dates in Spain's history:

16th-17th centuries - Spanish Empire at its height, with Spain the predominant European power. The rise of Protestant states in northern Europe and the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean begin the country's gradual decline.

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Madrid's Plaza Mayor

18th century - The War of the Spanish Succession loses Spain its European possessions outside the Iberian Peninsula. Bourbon dynasty, originally from France, centralises the Spanish state, shutting down many regional autonomous assemblies and modernising government and the military.

1807-1814 - Napoleon's France occupies Spain, which has been a French satellite since 1795. Fierce nationalist resistance and British intervention in the Peninsular War gradually force French troops out.

19th century - Napoleonic legacy of political division and economic dislocation leaves Spain weak and unstable, with frequent changes of government and a low-level insurgency by Carlist supporters of a rival branch of the royal family. All Latin American colonies win their independence, with Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines in Asia lost during a disastrous war with the United States in 1898.

1936-39 - Spanish Civil War pits left-wing Republicans against right-wing Nationalists, with both sides receiving foreign support. General Francisco Franco leads the Nationalists to victory and remains in power till his death in 1975.

1939-45 - Spain remains neutral throughout the Second World War, although the government's sympathies clearly lie with the Axis powers.

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Bullfighting - part of Spain's cultural heritage, but controversial in some quarters

1975 - Franco dies. Succeeded as head of state by King Juan Carlos. With Juan Carlos on the throne, Spain makes transition from dictatorship to democracy. Spain withdraws from the Spanish Sahara, ending its colonial empire.